Bow sight



March 14, 1967 G. G. DEAN 3,308,540

BOW SIGHT Filed March 12, 1964 INVENTOR GORDON GRANT DEAN 24 FIG. 7

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,308,540 BOW SIGHT Gordon G. Dean, 560 th Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah 84102 Filed Mar. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 351,373 5 Claims. (CI. 33-46) This invention relates to sports of various kinds including the shooting at targets and to equipment to be used and intended to exercise the reaction time and accuracy during such shooting as well as to provide an interesting pastime.

The invention relates particularly to instinctive and free style archery and to the provision of simple and inexpensive mechanism for reducing the reaction time and for improving the accuracy and skill of the archer.

Heretofore archers have used different styles of shooting or aiming. In instinctive aiming the archer anchors or draws the arrow back to a relatively high position on his face and shoots with both eyes open. Accuracy with this style has generally been limited to less than 50 yards. In free style shooting the anchor point is lower and the range is judged by sighting along a range device on the bow or along the point of the arrow.

It is an object of the invention to provide a sighting device of simple and inexpensive construction which can be readily applied to the wrist of an archer in order to permit him to shoot instinctively with accuracy at ranges greater than 50 yards.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG, 1 is a perspective illustrating the use of the invention by an archer aiming at a target;

FIG. 2, an enlarged fragmentary perspective illustrating the relation of the sight to the bow, to the target, and to the arrow;

FIG. 3, a perspective of the invention itself;

FIG. 4 is a detail of a holder for the sighting element;

FIG. 5, a section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6, a fragmentary perspective illustrating the adjustable mounting of the sighting element;

FIG. 7, a section on the line 77 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8, a detail of a modification.

Briefly stated the invention is a sighting device for use by an archer for obtaining faster reaction time and more accurate shooting at long range, such sighting device an adjustable strap for attachment to the wrist of the archer to which strap is rigidly fixed a supporting arm carrying an upright sighting rod having varicolored markings.

With continued reference to the drawing the present invention is a sighting device intended to aid an archer in the use of a bow and arrow so that the reaction time in shooting is faster and more quickly accomplished and with greater accuracy. In the use of a bow and arrow the wrist sight spans the gap between the free style archer and the instinctive archer and it has been necessary for the archer to decide whether to shoot from instinct or from free style, instinct being an innate influence or natural aptitude resulting from an inborn pattern of activity and response common to a given biological constitution. The instinctive archer must shoot quickly in order to be eifective in hitting a target or game. Greater distance is required for an aiming pattern in both types of archery, game at close range requiring a quicker response than that at a longer range.

Accordingly a sighting device is provided for attachment to the archers wrist for use in targets of 50 yards and more distant with instinct being relied upon for such distance. The reason for this is on account of the loss of velocity and the weight of the arrow following a de- Patented Mar. 14, 1967 cending arc. An instinctive archer shoots by looking at the target or object and shooting without taking his eye from the target until after the shot is completed, somewhat like pointing the finger. During such shooting the anchor point on the chin or lower jaw must be as close to the eye as possible to eliminate angles that tend to increase the margin of error. The free style archer has to change the anchor point 4 or 5 inches further down from the eye when using a bow sight or markings on the bow and this may be done by extending the thumb.

The present invention is intended to produce greater certainty on the part of the archer who can enter contests with competitive results and increase instinctive accuracy without changing the style of shooting. The sighting device of the invention comprises a flexible strap 10 and a conventional buckle 11 at one end and a series of openings 12 to receive the tongue 13 of the buckle. The buck-1e may be secured to the strap by any preferred means such as by means of a rivet 14.

The strap 10 is multiple-ply and has a space 15 between such plies in which is received a mounting bracket or element 16 having an opening 17 for the receipt of a rivet 18 for securing the bracket 16 in place.

To the bracket is secured an arm or bar 19 to which is attached a sight rod 20 which may have spaced multicolored sight markings 21 along one side and substantially at right angles to the line of vision. When the sighting device of the present invention is in use the strap 10 is in a wrist encircling position and the sight rod is in a substantially vertical position generally transverse to the line of vision, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and with the arm 19 extending substantially tangentially or horizontally from the lower portion of the encircling strap in substantially the same plane as the strap and with the sight rod 20 mounted in the outer end portion thereof.

In the use of the device the instinctive archer holds the bow in the same manner and with the same anhcor point for both short and long distances, the latter beyond 50 yards. In aiming at longer distances he sights with his right eye along the point of the arrow and with his left eye along that potrion of the rod 20 having a marking 21 for the particular range involved. With both eyes open the point of the arrow and the marking on the rod coincide on the target, as indicated in FIG. 2. This permits rapid accurate aiming as is desired for the instinctive archer.

The sight markings along the portion of the rod facing the archer are preferably of highly visible or bright colors with spaced indicia 21' indicating specific ranges and range intervals and intermediate markings 21" of con trasting colors whereby ranges may 'be quickly selected. The opposite side of the rod is preferably of a dull or camouflaged finish in order to reduce its visibility to game in the event that the device is used in hunting.

The sighting device may be made further adjustable as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 7 in which instead of the arm 19 an arm 22 may be employed, such arm having a slot 23 in which a screw 24 is slideable, such screw being threadedly engaged with a clamping plate 25 which serves to clamp the sight rod 21 in place. The sighting device of the present invention does not interfere with the use of an arm guard 26 or the bow 27 and its string 28, or with the arrow 29 aimed at the target 30.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a relatively simple inexpensive sighting device is provided which may be easily carried and readily attached or detached from the wrist of the archer and which will give the archer confidence, speed up his reaction, and give him greater accuracy in long distance shooting.

In the further modification of FIG. 9, a simplified device is illustrated which includes a rod having a straight portion 31 and a wrist engaging portion 32, with tubular sections 33 mounted at spaced intervals along the portion 31. The tubular sections 33 may be of plastic or other appropriate material which frictionally engages the rod and may be easily adjusted to suit the user. The sections 33 may be of varied colors if desired.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sighting device for use in the shooting of a bow and arrow, said sighting device comprising an adjustable strap for application about the wrist of an archer, a bracket fixed to said strap in a position for location on the under side of the Wrist, an arm fixed to said bracket and extending substantially tangentially to one side of the wrist, a rod mounted in a position to extend upwardly above the wrist to an elevation substantially above the top of the wrist, said rod having multicolored markings thereon, and said arm having a slot lengthwise thereof, a screw adjustable along said slot, and a clamping plate fastened to said arm by said screw and clamping said rod adjustably to said arm.

2. A sighting device for use in the shooting of a bow and arrow, said sighting device comprising an adjustable strap for application about the wrist of an archer, a bracket fixed to said strap in a position for location on the under side of the Wrist, an arm fixed to said bracket and extending substantially tangentially to one side of the wrist, and a rod mounted on said arm and in a position to extend upwardly above the wrist to an elevation substantially above the top of the wrist, said r-od having multicolored markings thereon.

3. A sighting device for use in the shooting of a bow and arrow, said sighting device comprising an adjustable strap for application about the wrist of an archer, a bracket fixed to said strap in a position for location on 4 the under side of the wrist, an arm fixed to said bracket and extending substantially tangentially to one side of the wrist, and a rod mounted on said arm and in a position to extend upwardly above the wrist to an elevation substantially above the top of the wrist.

4. A sighting device for use in the shooting of a bow and arrow, said sighting device comprising a sighting rod, means for mounting the rod on the wrist and with the rod extending upwardly therefrom, range markings on a portion of the rod facing the user when the users arm is extended, said range markings comprising highly visible spaced indicia, said indicia having color for indicating specific ranges and specific range intervals, and different colors for indicating intermediate range intervals, the opposite side rod being relatively less visible.

5. A sighting device for use in the shooting of a bow and arr-ow, said sighting device comprising a unitary rod having a straight portion and a portion of a configuration to engage the wrist, and adjustable indicia mounted on the straight portion of said rod,said indicia comprising relatively short sections frictionally mounted on the rod, said sections being spaced with respect to each other to provide appropriate range markings.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 830,769 9/1906 Chandler 3367 1,296,248 3/1919 Williamson 336O X 2,332,080 10/1943 Howe 33-46.4 3,029,517 4/1962 Frey 3364 3,084,442 4/1963 Jacobson et al. 3346.4 3,206,200 9/1965 Butan 33-207 X FOREIGN PATENTS 547,995 4/ 1932 Germany.

LEONARD FORMAN, Primary Examiner.

H. N. HAROIAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SIGHTING DEVICE FOR USE IN THE SHOOTING OF A BOW AND ARROW, SAID SIGHTING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ADJUSTABLE STRAP FOR APPLICATION ABOUT THE WRIST OF AN ARCHER, A BRACKET FIXED TO SAID STRAP IN A POSTIION FOR LOCATION ON THE UNDER SIDE OF THE WRIST, AN ARM FIXED TO SAID BRACKET AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIALLY TO ONE SIDE OF THE WRIST, A ROD MOUNTED IN A POSITION TO EXTEND UPWARDLY ABOVE THE WRIST TO AN ELEVATION SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE TOP 